Monthly Archives: November 2013

Grand Rapids, Michigan, November 21, 2013 –Michigan Health Connect, Michigan’s largest provider of health information exchange (HIE), now has the ability to deliver diagnostic-quality images to its member hospitals, physicians and other healthcare professionals, in a partnership with eHealth Technologies.

The sharing of medical images, especially in full diagnostic quality, has been a particular challenge for HIEs and their participating health systems, hospitals and imaging centers. The eHealth Connect® Image Exchange platform allows Michigan Health Connect members to simply click to access, view and collaborate in real-time on X-rays, CT and MR scans, ultrasound studies and ECGs. eHealth Connect shares more than 6 million exams and one-half billion images annually.

“Now our participating providers have the ability to access diagnostic quality medical images with a single click from the context of their everyday workflow,” said Doug Dietzman, executive director, Michigan Health Connect. “Regardless of the originating source of the images, our HIE subscribers have simple, secure access to medical images on a common zero-footprint web-based HIE-wide viewing platform – eHealthViewer® ZF provided by eHealth Technologies. In addition, this platform makes it easy for hospitals and other diagnostic centers to make their images available securely anywhere across the state without sending them to MHC or moving them from where they are stored today inside the enterprise.”

“Michigan Health Connect is among a growing community of HIEs to take advantage of this service,” said Gary Larson, executive vice president and general manager at eHealth Technologies. “By providing caregivers with immediate access to medical images, we can facilitate faster and more effective care planning. This is especially important for follow-on care specialists who will now have ready access to the images they need without burdening patients with hand carrying imaging CDs between doctors,” Larson said. “Radiologists and other physicians will also be able to collaborate with images on a real-time basis for complex cases and second opinions as a part of this service.”

About eHealth Technologies™

eHealth Technologies is a leading provider of continuity of care solutions, serving leading health information exchanges (HIEs) and over half of the nation’s top 100 hospitals, including 12 of the top 17 U.S. News & World Report Honor roll Hospitals for 2012-2013. The company’s eHealth Connect® offering enhances patient and physician satisfaction by streamlining transitions of care, and by providing the right patient information–when and where it is needed. For more information, visit www.eHealthTechnologies.com

Federal health officials say that defects in some Medtronic devices used in heart procedures are severe enough that they could cause serious injury or death.
The warning covers about 15,000 recalled guidewires, which are inserted through an artery and used to guide other devices into place, such as stents to hold open blocked arteries.

A recall of the guidewires began Oct. 21 after Medtronic received reports of four complaints, including one patient who went into cardiac arrest but was resuscitated, company spokesman Joseph McGrath said Saturday.
The recall notice warned hospitals and distributors worldwide that coating on the guidewires could break off, which could raise the possibility of blocking a blood vessel. The wires are coated to make them slide through blood vessels more easily.
Medtronic announced Friday night that the Food and Drug Administration had classified the recall as Class I, a category reserved for products with reasonable potential to cause serious injury or death.
The Minneapolis company said the recall affected certain lots made since April. The company said it has taken steps to prevent new shipments of the wires. It also has notified regulators around the world.

In the largest-ever legal settlement for sales of a single drug, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay more than $2 billion and plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of misbranding to end long-running investigations of its sales tactics involving Risperdal.

The New Brunswick, N.J.-based company and subsidiaries Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Scios told investors in August 2011 that they had agreed to settle allegations that J&J promoted its anti-psychotic Risperdal for off-label uses. On Thursday, company officials are scheduled to plead guilty in federal court.